The Agencia Española de Protección de Datos has forced the Nerja Town Hall to take down CCTV cameras , which had been installed without the necessary permission, in the municipal police offices, on Avenida de Pescia

This has come about after a complaint was lodged by the police union (SIP-AN) back in March of last year. The Town Council took action on the 20th of January this year by disconnecting the cameras, however.

The problem was that the cameras were orientated in such a manner that they covered an area outside the police station, but without the proper administrative permits. The siting of the camera transgressed the Ley Orgánica de Protección de Datos (data protection law).

What isn’t clear is whether the Town Hall will apply for the relevant permits or they simply opted to disconnect the cameras after hearing of the pending publication of the findings of the AEPD, which were finally published on the 24th of February.

However, there remains a point of controversy because whilst the cameras were operative, the Town Hall infringed articles 6.1 and 5 of the said law, which could be typified as ‘Gross Negligence.’ Also, the Town hall has 30 days to submit a report detailing how steps have been taken to avoid a repeat performance.

(News; Nerja, Costa del Sol, Malaga, Andalucia)